Looking smart in a blue button-down shirt,Jorge Magana,18,zipped through a PowerPoint(PPT) presentation with confidence. Seated in front of Magana in a classroom at Los Angeles High School of the Arts were three judges: the school’s Assistant Headmaster,a school coordinator,and a former student. The occasion was his senior defense. Magana was trying to convince the judges that he was ready to graduate.
He had 45 minutes to present his portfolio(作品选集) from three aspects: one academic,one artistic,and one of his own choosing. The judges grilled him: Can you describe your research process? Which difficulties did you face and how did you overcome them? How will the skills you learned help with your future plans?
Portfolio assessments like this one,which are considered by educators nationwide as a proven path to college success,have largely been squeezed out by standardized tests,the quicker,less costly measure of student performance. But the state’s reliance on test scores to rank school performance is about to change,and educators see an opportunity. For now,the goal at the Los Angeles Unified School District is to make the portfolio defense a graduation requirement. Ten high schools are testing the portfolio assessment,and there are plans to get more schools on board next school year.
At first,many teachers at Los Angeles High School of the Arts thought the defense was unnecessary. Then,they actually witnessed the defenses. “You can see your students reflect on what they’ve learned,and see how that learning has affected them,” says Isabel Morales,a 12th grade social studies teacher. “Watching the defenses taught me how much my lessons count,how important it is for me to provide a new learning experience for my students. ”
1.Why is Jorge Magana mentioned in the text?
A.To lead in the topic of the passage.
B.To introduce what the senior defense is.
C.To present how to make a senior defense.
D.To stress difficulties of portfolio defenses.
2.What can we know about portfolio assessments from paragraph 3?
A.They require low investment.
B.They are being widely promoted.
C.They completely replace standardized tests.
D.They are common at high school.
3.What is Isabel Morales’ attitude to portfolio defenses?
A.Disapproving. B.Worried.
C.Doubtful. D.Supportive.
短文改错
Dear Jenny,
How nice to hear of you! In your letter you asked me how keep healthy. I would like to give you some advices.
As we know, food is quite importance to us teenagers. Since we grow very fast, we are in the need of nutritious food, such as fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and meat. Therefore, I thought you’d better not eating food with much sugar and fat. And you should get plenty of sleep, but it is necessary for you to have at least eight hours of sleep every day. Besides, you should take physical exercise regular. It will be good for my health. Only in this way can you keep fit.
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
Every person has time for exercise. The way is to take steps to include exercise convenient for your lifestyle. After I started getting into a habit of exercising, I was surprised by how much I could get done in a day, both physically and mentally. You can make exercise a part of your daily lifestyle. 1.
Start small
One of the reasons exercise programs fail is that we bite off more than we can chew. Instead of telling yourself you’re going to exercise today for an hour, tell yourself you’re going to exercise for five minutes. 2.
Break your exercise into parts.
No time for 30 minutes of exercise? No problem. Do three bouts (一回) of 10 minutes, or six bouts of five minutes each.3. Just keep a running table of how many minutes you exercise each day to ensure you’re getting the minimum you desire.
4.
Devices such as Fitbit activity trackers (跟踪系统) turn exercise into a game of sorts. Each day, you can measure how many steps you’ve taken. Many people find this attractive to their competitive spirits, and they and they take great pains to meet their goals. The technology is there, and it’s very affordable.
Exercise with someone else.
5. You don’t want to let him or her down, even if you’re feeling like you’d rather not work out. Find someone and start moving. You’ll be able to inspire one another and celebrate your success.
A. Use technology to help.
B. Always stay active with exercise.
C. Yes, just five minutes and get up to walk around.
D. Here are four steps to help you do it effectively.
E. You’ll still get the same time, no matter how you break it down.
F. High-tech products are becoming popular with many young people.
G. It’s much more difficult to say “no” to exercise when you have an exercise partner.
By teaching your children healthy eating habits, and copying the behavior in yourself, you can help your children keep a healthy weight and normal growth. Also, the eating habits your children form when they are young will help them keep a healthy lifestyle when they grow up.
Your children’s health care provider can evaluate (评估) your children’s weight and growth and let you know if your children need to lose weight or if any dietary changes need to he made.
Some of the most important parts of healthy eating are portion control and cutting down on how much fat and sugar your children eat or drink. Simple ways to reduce fat intake in your children’s diet and improve a healthy weight include serving:
Low-fat or nonfat dairy products
Poultry without skin
Lean cuts of meat
Whole grain bread and cereals
Fruit and vegetables
Also, reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened drinks and salt in your children’s diet.
If you are unsure how to select and prepare a variety of foods for your family, ask a registered dietitian (营养师) for advice.
It is important that you should not place your overweight children on a restrictive (限制性的) diet. Children should never be placed on a restrictive diet to lose weight unless a doctor takes charge of one for medical reasons.
1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?
A.Parents are mirrors for their children.
B.Teaching children eating healthily is also helpful for parents.
C.That children are healthy is important.
D.Forming healthy eating habits is important for children.
2.What are the most important parts of healthy eating your children should control?
A.Fat and sugar.
B.Water and meat.
C.Fruit and vegetables.
D.Whole grain bread and cereals.
3.What does the third paragraph tell us?
A.How to lose weight.
B.How to eat healthily.
C.How to reduce fat and sugar.
D.How to keep a healthy weight.
4.What shouldn’t your children do if they want to lose weight unless doctors tell them to?
A.Limiting diets.
B.Taking exercise.
C.Listening to parents.
D.Reducing fat intake.
Many years ago, when I was in high school and working weekends to pay for the extras that my family couldn’t really afford, I lost my wallet.
My old car needed gassing up in the back. I prepaid and then put my wallet on the bumper(保险杠), and drove off. I hadn’t even had time to miss it when my phone rang and a man asked me if I had lost my wallet. I checked my pocket and to my surprise, I didn’t find my wallet. He asked me to tell him how much money was in it. He then told me where to pick up my wallet.
As I pulled into his driveway, I noticed his handicapped van(残疾人车) and the ramp(斜坡) going up to the house. I was thinking that this man must have had difficulty in getting out of his van and getting my wallet off the street. He had to pull over, get in his wheelchair, lower the lift, and then pick it up. I was just surprised. I felt grateful.
I knocked on the door and he told me to come in. I thanked him about 10 times for finding my wallet. I was stuck, though. While I didn’t want to insult him by offering money, I really felt like offering something. So I asked him if there was anything I could do to repay his kindness, and he said, “Just pass it on.” I said I would be certain to do that. I was raised to be honest in any circumstance and I would have done so, without promising this fellow I would, but I wanted to repay his kindness, so I willingly promised I would.
1.Where did the writer lose his wallet?
A. At the shop. B. At the gas station.
C. At the school. D. At the garage.
2.What did the man ask the writer to do?
A. He asked the writer to be careful.
B. He asked the writer to pass his kindness on.
C. He asked the writer to repay his kindness.
D. He asked the writer to be honest.
3.What can we learn from the man’s action?
A. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C. Good is rewarded with good.
D. Help others, but don’t ask for anything.
4.Which of the following can best describe the man who picked up the writer’s wallet?
A. Intelligent. B. Serious.
C. Noble. D. Patient.
单句改错
1.The rain is heavier and heavier, so the river bank will break.
__________________
2.Next year my little sister is going to be ten years old.
__________________
3.Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts. The plane will take off.
__________________
4.As soon as he comes back, I’ll tell him when you come and see him.
__________________
5.I tell you the truth when you come here tomorrow.
__________________
6.My wife will be at work when my plane will arrive.
__________________
7.—Alas! I have left my key to the office in my car. —Don’t worry. I am going to fetch it for you. Wait a minute.
__________________
8.—What are you going to do next holiday?
—I will go on a trip abroad.
__________________
9.—How could I apply (申请) for a course online?
—Just fill in this form and we see what we can do for you.
__________________
10.I don’t know what time it is now, but I would check it for you.
__________________